✾

"No, Ruby," I sigh, setting my laptop on the coffee table before getting some cereal from the kitchen. "I don't have a crush on anybody."

"Well... What about... Who was the one blonde girl that had the pink dress? You said you and her were just having a tickle fight?"

I cringe a little bit, since we were definitely not just having a tickle fight. "Uh, her name's Amelia. And I don't like her. She's dating somebody."

"That's good, because I don't either," she bluntly states.

"Good to know," I chuckle. I sit down with the bowl of cereal in front of my laptop where I'm Skyping my little sister. "Hey, so how's Mom been doing?"

"Good, I guess," Ruby shrugs. I notice that her bangs are a lot messier than they usually are, framing her big blue eyes. "She keeps going out for the night and leaving me with this babysitter. Her name's Kat. She's just... kind of rude."

"Where is Mom going when she goes out?"

"I don't know," she sighs. "She won't tell me. I don't think she likes that one of her birds left the nest. I like that phrase, 'a bird left the nest.'"

"Alright, where is she at right now?"

"I'm not sure."

"Well, how about you come over for a little bit? I can try to get a hold of Mom, and until—"

"Yeah! Can I bring my money and you can take me to the store?"

"Alright... Where did you get money?"

"Oh, um... Long story. See you later!" She quickly hangs up.

✾

"Thanks for taking me to the store!" Ruby beams at me, closing the door with a plastic bag full of sugar held tightly in her grasp.

"Ruby, tell me how you got that money. If Mom gave it to you or something then just tell me. I promise I won't actually care."

She smiles lightly before pursing her lips and looking away. "Well, it was during recess... There was this girl, and I told her I could cut her hair if she paid me. And she didn't believe I could, so I showed her by cutting my own bangs. And then she gave me money to give her bangs, too. I took a picture, do you wanna see?"

"Ruby..." I sigh, putting my head in my hands.

She pulls out her little cell phone, and I wait a few moments before she shows me a photo of a girl with curly blonde hair covering her face with her hands.

"They're split," I state.

"It's called parted bangs, stupid." She flicks my forehead. She puts her phone away, then squints her eyes at the window. "Did you know there's a girl next door?"

"Yeah... Why?" I turn to see what she's looking at and it's the brunette from before.

Her hair is in another messy bun (as usual), and she's wearing white shorts with her jacket sleeves rolled up. She's currently using a soapy rag to scrub a light blue plate because she's washing dishes. Eventually, she uses her elbow (since her hands are full) to swipe a strand of auburn hair out of her face.

"Earth to Pierce," Ruby sings, clapping her hands. "You look like a creep, watching her through her window like that."

"Shut up, little b*stard," I mutter. "She's nothing special."

"You're rude," she pouts. "Oh, and by the way, Mom's trying to get ahold of you."

"Great," I sigh. With that, I get to my phone and call her. She picks up after a few rings.

"Where is Ruby?" she asks me immediately.

"The apartment with me. She's fine."

"She's supposed to be with the babysitter tonight, she's being taken care of just fine."

I look over to Ruby, her dark strands of hair tucked behind her ear as she opens a pack of gum and blows a bubble with it. Her bright eyes cross just to look at it shortly before it pops.

"Can't you just cancel things with the babysitter? I promise you that she'll be fine here. She spends more time with the babysitter than she does with you."

"How would you know? She's probably just being dramatic. Anyway, fine. I'll f*cking cancel it. Just don't talk back to me."

"Bye, Mom."

She hangs up.

"You're spending the night here tonight," I inform Ruby. She nods with an excited grin in return.

✾

I look out of the window of my room, and I'm about to close the blinds before looking at the window of the girl next door. She shakes her head to herself, untying her hair and letting it fall around her face. Her music, soft and stupid, starts playing in the background.

Afterwards, she steps over to the window and opens it wide, using some wood to keep it open. She makes eye contact with me, and her eyes widen and she drops the wood with a noisy thunk. After that she bites her lip and her face turns pink, and the window slams shut.

She opens the window and glares at me as if I did something. She keeps the glass screen open though, as if to show me that she doesn't care about me. In return, I open my own window and call, "Hey, you!"

The girl is in the middle of walking away, but she stops and turns around when she hears me. She looks over, furrowing her eyebrows. "I have a name, you know!" she yells. "What do you want?"

I stay silent for a second, trying to think of what it was I actually did want from her. "For you to turn the music down!" I decide.

"You want me to turn the music up?" The girl sarcastically gasps. "Well gee, I didn't see you as the soft kinda guy, but if you say so!"

She turns the music up, just like I told her not to do.

"Turn the music down!" I repeat irritably. "It sounds like actual garbage coming through the speakers!"

"You want it even louder? Well, if you insist—"

I flip her off before slamming my own window shut. After a few minutes, the tragic yelping over a guitar goes away and I can finally sleep.

✾